Johnson C. Smith, North Carolina CIAA teams savoring breakout season

Coach Maurice Flowers saw glimpses of what Johnson C. Smith football could become during his first two seasons at the helm of the Charlotte CIAA program.

The Golden Bulls played perennial Southern division power Fayetteville State tight in 2022, then won seven games a year ago, once again staying close to Fayetteville State before dropping a 14-7 decision.

“We lost by one score, but we just didn’t feel like we had played championship moments well,” Flowers remembered. “That has been our focus to play championship moments better.”

Flash forward to this season, and the Golden Bulls have answered the bell in each of their first four games. This past Saturday night, with the Charlotte skyline as a beautiful backdrop, Flowers’ group literally played a championship moment well, defeating reigning CIAA champion Virginia Union 21-16.

The Bulls stymied the Panthers’ top running back Jada Byers (47 yards), while their own star rusher, Quavaris Crouch found the end zone three times, two on running plays and another on pass reception.

Now, Johnson C. Smith owns a 4-0 record, 2-0 in the CIAA — and in the eyes of many have become the team to beat at this stage.

The Golden Bulls assumed the No. 1 spot in the latest D2 HBCU coaches poll, powered by BOXTOROW — the first time the school has ever been at the top of that ranking looking down at everyone else. (Johnson C. Smith is currently second in our latest Fabulous 15 statewide rankings).

“It does feel good,” Flowers said in the press conference after Saturday’s triumph. “They don’t give away rings and championships in September. We have some more work to do. But it feels good to know that we can play with and beat top teams in the CIAA … The first two years we weren’t ready to win a game like this. But they never flinched (Saturday). That is the sign of a good team.”

Man With A Plan

The motto around Johnson C. Smith since Flowers arrived has been “Brick By Brick”. Stack good days of practice and preparation. Build a roster around excellent student-athletes from the Charlotte footprint. Open the doors to instant-impact transfers that want the HBCU experience. Focus on building great men as well as stellar football players.

So far, the blueprint is working.

“I’m not going to say it yet, that ‘we’re back,'” Flowers told media during Saturday’s presser. “What I’m going to say is we’re going to keep building. What we came in to do first off was to make sure we brought in quality student-athletes and we’re doing that. But we have a lot more work to do. And it’s in the classroom. It’s how we carry ourselves. Our athletic director and our president, they hold us to a higher standard because we want to set a great example on the campus.”

On the field, Johnson C. Smith features one of the more experienced and talented rosters in the CIAA. Familiar names from last year’s Florida Beach Bowl team returned, like wide receiver Brevin Caldwell (36 catches thus far, 522 yards, 6 TDs) and linebacker Benari Black (31 tackles, 7.5 tackles-for-loss).

The team also added skill position transfers who have fit seamlessly into the lineup. Darius Ocean earned CIAA quarterback of the week honors after completing 17 of 28 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown in the win over VUU. Crouch, who has suited up for Tennessee and Michigan State, rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown in the season opener vs. Tuskegee.

The Bulls average 32.8 points per game, while holding opponents to just 12.0. A balanced attack has yielded 418.3 yards per game to 225.5 ypg for opponents.

“Virginia Union, they play bully ball,” Flowers said. “But we like to play physical also. We just knew we were not going to be pushed around in our home, and we knew if you’re going to beat the champions you’re going to have to withstand some of the physicality they give out. We like our physicality.”

Running Of The Bulls – And Rams, Broncos, Bears

The race for Salem, Va., the home of the CIAA championship game this November, is far from over of course. But Johnson C. Smith has grabbed pole position heading into the second full weekend of “cross-over” games between former Southern and Northern division rivals.

While Virginia Union and Virginia State were picked as the preseason favorites, the biggest challengers for the Bulls’ title aspirations could come from in-state.

The latest D2 HBCU poll is stacked with schools from the Old North State. Clark Atlanta sits in second behind JCSU, but Winston-Salem State (3-1), Fayetteville State (2-1) and upstart Shaw (3-1) own the next three places. It’s been awhile since North Carolina’s CIAA contingent has been this solid and deep. Elizabeth City State (2-2) and Livingstone (2-2) also received votes, with the Vikings narrowly missing the top 10. The Vikes and Blue Bears shouldn’t be taken lightly either.

Winston-Salem State, which won four CIAA titles between 2011-16, clipped Virginia State this past weekend, 15-14. That was an eye-opener to some. The Rams were picked sixth in the conference; Virginia State first.

Gilberto Lorenzana hit a field goal with three seconds left to steal the road upset – his third FG of the day. Lorenzana joined offensive lineman Keith Quick and running back Trevon Hester on the CIAA’s honors list this week.

“You look a year ago and we lost those games, those close games,” coach Robert Massey said in Saturday’s post-game press conference. “We were in them and we lost them. That’s part of the growing, maturation of those guys. They are mentally tough now. They are physically prepared to do battle.”

The Rams came into this season tauting quarterback Daylin Lee as the face of the franchise. Lee, a sophomore, has been solid managing the offense for sure. But WSSU has been more traditional in its approach — potent ground game, stingy defense, dependable special teams.

“I know everybody is waiting for Daylin Lee to have a breakout passing game,” Massey said. “It’s going to come but you have to be able to run the ball in order for the passing game to develop. We’re doing a good job and Daylin is making good decisions.”

Not to say the Rams haven’t been explosive at times. Noah Marshall ripped off a 78-yard touchdown run Saturday that pulled WSSU within 14-12 with seven minutes to play. Justin Fleming had a 63-yard interception return for a touchdown in the opener.

“We don’t really care about the rankings (Virginia State being picked to win the CIAA),” Marshall said after the contest. “We’re worried about our ourselves, we’re worried about the team. We know we’re the best team in the CIAA. We know we’re going to win it. We’ve got that confidence. We’re going to practice every day and practice hard. We know we’re going to see the results.”

Fayetteville State averaged less than 18 points per game a year ago, yet finished 8-0 in the CIAA regular season thanks to clutch defense and a tenacious will-to-win. The Broncos have been more prolific on offense thus far in 2024, scoring 35 points against UNC Pembroke and putting up 31 this past Saturday against Elizabeth City State. FSU certainly won’t give away its mantle as the top CIAA team in North Carolina without a fight.

Shaw may be the biggest positive surprise so far. The Bears, picked seventh in the preseason, have already matched their win total from a year ago (3-7). Shaw upset preseason SIAC favorite Albany State 43-40 in week two, then rolled to a 48-14 win over Lincoln on Saturday.

Christian Peters leads all North Carolina college quarterbacks in touchdown passes (13). Ah’shaan Belcher has caught six of those throws and recently became the school’s all-time TD receptions leader. Travon Tensley is averaging nearly 100 yards per game in rushing. Things are clicking much more smoothly than the past few campaigns.

“Everybody is pushing everybody,” Tensley told CBS17 after Saturday’s win. “We all do our thing when we get our chance.”

Separation Saturday On Deck?

This weekend’s CIAA schedule presents some juicy match-ups, a chance to separate contenders from pretenders (or make everything a muddy mess).

Shaw will take its shot at Virginia Union on the road, Winston-Salem State will entertain Bowie State and Livingstone will travel to Lincoln in the 1 p.m. window. Bowie was picked fifth this season but has recent championship pedigree (CIAA titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021).

Fayetteville State visits Virginia State at 2 p.m. Johnson C. Smith, meanwhile, will play another night game, traveling to Bluefield State (6 p.m. start).

Conventional wisdom would say the Golden Bulls should be on letdown alert this week after Saturday’s monumental win. But Flowers turned to an old-school coaching trick to try and avert that.

Multiple times during Saturday’s post-game presser he made sure to vocalize to the media — but really addressing nearby players — that Bluefield State had the audacity to pick the Johnson C. Smith as its homecoming foe.

Linebacker Benari Black seemed to get the message to stay focused.

“We always say, ‘Day by day. Brick by brick,'” Black said. “We’ve got good momentum going so we’ll celebrate (the Virginia Union win) and then we’re back at it.”

2024 HBCU Division II Coaches Poll powered by BOXTOROW

Week 4 | Records through Sept. 21

• No. Team W-L Pts Last Week
• 1 Johnson C. Smith (18) 4-0 217 2
• 2 Clark Atlanta (3) 3-0-1 198 4
• 3 Winston-Salem State 3-1 148 7
• 4 Shaw 3-1 131 6
• 5 Fayetteville State 2-1 130 5
• 6 Virginia Union 1-2 115 1
• 7 Virginia State 1-2 70 3
• 8 Fort Valley State 1-2 61 8
• 9 Miles 1-2 52 9
• 10 West Virginia State 2-1 22 NR
• Others receiving: Albany State (0-2) 14, Elizabeth City State (2-2) 13, Savannah State (1-2) 8, Bowie State (1-2) 7, Benedict (1-2) 6, Edward Waters (1-3) 3, Tuskegee (0-3) 3, Livingstone (2-2) 3, Lane (1-2) 2, Central State (1-3) 2.

(1st place votes in parentheses)